15 Exact Moments Wrestlers Died Inside
12. Steve Austin Knows It's Over
What you might not remember about the otherwise seminal The Rock Vs. Steve Austin feud is that the last chapter wasn't amazing.
It is primarily remembered for the 'Rock Concert' segment. It was as great as you remember; genuinely witty and performed by a master crowd manipulator, the Rock glowed with megastar charisma throughout. He'd never been better on the mic or as a presence, and the fans genuinely resented him for it. He was at his very best on an individual basis. WWE, in parallel, was in significant creative decline - and Rock was leaving you all behind, and almost deliriously happy to see you go.
Everything else was a tinny recording of the Greatest Hits. Austin's big return to the arena at the end of the show was more contrived and less spectacular than it was a few short years prior.
The match at WrestleMania XIX was best described as "worthy" and "admirable" as opposed to something truly great. That might be because a completely thrashed and recently hospitalised Steve Austin could barely get through it; the Rock spent almost the entire match clowning and stooging like he was on the last night of an exhausting European tour.
Even before that infamous hospital trip, Austin seemed to know he was done, if you re-watch his big Raw return carefully enough. At times, he turns his back on the hard camera and slumps over the ropes, as if he is literally unable to face the music. He repeats certain phrases from his famed King Of The Ring promo, but taking his own advice in the 2001 Jim Ross sit-down, he takes the bass out of his voice.